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A Journey Into The Trenches And Bomb Shelters As Military Tensions Escalate In Eastern Ukraine

Multiple social-media videos that have appeared, along with analysis of available data, indicate a large Russian military buildup in Crimea and along Russia's border with Ukraine. There has also been an increase in shelling along the line of control separating Ukrainian forces from Russia-backed fighters in eastern Ukraine.

The last large-scale fighting took place in January 2017, but there are concerns that there could be another major outbreak of military action. Military forces and civilians on both sides are preparing for whatever may come.

The conflict in the eastern Ukrainian region known as the Donbas began seven years ago. Despite multiple cease-fire agreements, fighting has continued intermittently. More than 13,000 people have been killed since April 2014, according to the United Nations, and more than 1 million have been displaced.
A Ukrainian soldier uses binoculars while observing fighting positions on the line of separation near Donetsk on April 6. The city is under the control of Russia-backed separatists.
1 A Ukrainian soldier uses binoculars while observing fighting positions on the line of separation near Donetsk on April 6. The city is under the control of Russia-backed separatists.
A soldier patrols trenches manned by Ukrainian government forces near Donetsk. Dozens of Ukrainian military personnel have been killed since the start of 2020.
2 A soldier patrols trenches manned by Ukrainian government forces near Donetsk. Dozens of Ukrainian military personnel have been killed since the start of 2020.
A Ukrainian soldier cleans a weapon. Observers point out that Russia has made large troop movements in the past in connection with regular military exercises. But some analysts say the scale of the Russian military equipment movements is far beyond normal.
3 A Ukrainian soldier cleans a weapon. Observers point out that Russia has made large troop movements in the past in connection with regular military exercises. But some analysts say the scale of the Russian military equipment movements is far beyond normal.
A Ukrainian soldier stands guard near Donetsk. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says there is nothing to fear and that the repositioning of military forces within Russia's borders is a strictly domestic concern.
4 A Ukrainian soldier stands guard near Donetsk. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says there is nothing to fear and that the repositioning of military forces within Russia's borders is a strictly domestic concern.
A soldier looks out from a bunker controlled by Ukrainian government forces near Avdiyivka in the Donetsk region on April 5.
5 A soldier looks out from a bunker controlled by Ukrainian government forces near Avdiyivka in the Donetsk region on April 5.
A Ukrainian soldier patrols in a trench near Avdiyivka.
6 A Ukrainian soldier patrols in a trench near Avdiyivka.
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Men enter a bomb shelter at a tram depot in the Donetsk region on March 24 in an area controlled by separatists. 
10 Men enter a bomb shelter at a tram depot in the Donetsk region on March 24 in an area controlled by separatists. 
Inside the bomb shelter
11 Inside the bomb shelter
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A damaged apartment building in Yasynuvata, a separatist-controlled town in Ukraine's Donetsk region
13 A damaged apartment building in Yasynuvata, a separatist-controlled town in Ukraine's Donetsk region
A woman points to dates written on the wall in a bomb shelter in Yasynuvata. The dates refer to New Year's parties that she and other local people celebrated there.
14 A woman points to dates written on the wall in a bomb shelter in Yasynuvata. The dates refer to New Year's parties that she and other local people celebrated there.
Gas masks in the Yasynuvata shelter
15 Gas masks in the Yasynuvata shelter
People sit in a bomb shelter in the separatist-controlled Petrovsky district of Donetsk on March 24.
16 People sit in a bomb shelter in the separatist-controlled Petrovsky district of Donetsk on March 24.
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